


Things Not to Be Mentioned

by still_lycoris



Category: Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Sick Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-02
Updated: 2019-01-02
Packaged: 2019-10-03 03:35:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17276339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/still_lycoris/pseuds/still_lycoris
Summary: When Mello and Near both have the chicken pox, Mello hears a little more than he wanted to.





	Things Not to Be Mentioned

**Author's Note:**

> Written for 12dayschristmas

Of course, Near got chicken pox the worst.

Obviously, Mello knew that it was actually better not to get chicken pox worst. Better to be like him; scratchy and sulky and not really that sick. But he and Near were the only ones sick and they were quarantined together and so Mello was having to watch everyone fuss over Near and fetch him drinks and mutter about his temperature. It was fucking galling, that’s what it was. And boring. _Really_ boring. They wouldn’t even let Matt come in to entertain him and they didn’t want him to watch anything loud because it might disturb Near and so he couldn’t have any fun at all. It was almost a relief when it was night and time to sleep except that he was too itchy to sleep and it _sucked_.

He lay awake, listening to Near breathe in a snuffly way and the distant sounds of the others messing around (he hoped that they all got chicken pox soon and he would laugh at them because they deserved it.) After a while, they got quiet. He heard some of the staff going to bed. Then Roger, checking on them before he did. Mello pretended to be asleep to avoid a boring lecture about rest.

Then Roger was gone and everywhere was quiet and he was alone with Near’s breathing. And the itching.

He lay there for a bit, pretending it didn’t itch, then telling himself that he didn’t care if it did (he betted _L_ had never scratched if he had chicken pox.) He did that for so long that he must have sort of fallen asleep because when Near whimpered, it was definitely like being woken up. He blinked at the darkness and Near whimpered again and he sounded ... scared?

Mello sat up cautiously, just in case someone was there. Nobody was, except Near. He was hunched up in a ball and making the weird little noises. Mello got out of bed and moved over. He meant to give Near a good poke and tell him to shut up but somehow, he ended up shaking him lightly instead.

“Oy.”

Near’s eyes snapped open. He stared for a moment, eyes wide in the dark, not really looking at anything.

“Mello?”

“Who _else_ would it be?” he snapped.

“Mello ... ” Near said again, then. “You’re strong. You won’t let him in?”

“Him?”

“Father.”

Mello went very still. There was an unwritten but strictly adhered to law in the orphanage. You never, _ever_ asked anybody why they were there. It was the one rule nobody, not even Mello, ever broke and very few people ever offered the information. Mello certainly hadn’t known that that Near had known his father.

Mello had known his own. Briefly.

“Please?” Near sounded like a _kid_ , a scared little kid. “Please don’t let him – ”

“He’s not here, stupid,” Mello interrupted roughly. And if he was I’d break his nose for waking me up. Just like I’ll break yours if you don’t shut it, kay?”

Near seemed to relax. He nodded his head slightly, looking up at Mello with an expression of what seemed to be _trust_. He curled up, putting his arms over his face and seemed to go to sleep again. Mello felt weird. He wasn’t used to Near looking even remotely weak. He wasn’t used to feeling trusted. He didn’t think that he liked it.

Or maybe he did.

He definietely didn’t like that.

He went and put some cream on before going back to bed. He had had enough of tonight. He wanted to go to sleep and forget any of it had never happened.

Some things weren’t good to think about too much.


End file.
